The impossibility of learning controversial truths
I’m probably unique in this, but I find social media’s version of political and social debate disheartening. Memes are not the language of complexity or nuance, nor were they meant to be. They thrive in concisely expressing ideas we are already familiar with. In my empathetic little world, I actually don’t understand how people can regularly post controversial memes. Do they not have any friends on the other side of the issue?
When I post a controversial post, I’m on edge for the next six hours, waiting for someone to disagree with me.
Waiting for them to be right.
Waiting to be forced by my own brain to walk in their shoes and see my post as they do.
And I just don’t feel like I have enough conviction in most of my opinions to even be able to stand up to that kind of pressure. And what do I want with conviction, anyway? Nearly every time I voice one, someone comes in with another fact, another source, and sometimes I’m just embarrassing myself in public, because I’m just wrong. Hardly encouraging. I should probably go out and research more on those subjects, but they are big subjects, and there’s so many of them. It’s very daunting. If I were to approach the wall of my ignorance, I don’t know how to even begin tearing it down. Political commentators are no good as a source of information. That would be like reading an analysis of Monte Cristo, and thinking I’ve read the book. I would only get the information that the commentator thinks is relevant. Editorials are the same. Individual news articles can be good, but they are much more accurate with individual events rather than overall trends, which are, again, more susceptible to bias. My feed is by far the worst source of information on which to base my opinions. A collection of one-liners disagreeing with each other. And of course, the intimidation of my peers seeming to have their opinions all figured out, and poking a little fun at those ignorant people who really *should* get their act together.
Once again, I’m sure none of you feel this way, but facing my mountain of ignorance, I’m terrified to start. Moving it, it seems will take so much time, but my opinion feels required *now.* I’m a voter, after all. I don’t really know how to move mountains. I guess it must be moved one shovelful at a time. Maybe I’ll never get conviction. Maybe it will take all my life. Maybe I’ll never be able to talk about intricate and important subjects with confidence, but maybe, just maybe, I can start moving a mountain.
Pretty sure just writing this article triggered my fight or flight response.
